


not just any first date

by Ren (FahRENheit2006)



Series: not just friends (but what i want most) [1]
Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Dialogue, Dorks in Love, F/F, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Gap Filler, Headcanon, Mutual Pining, Not Just Friends Anymore, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-28
Updated: 2017-09-28
Packaged: 2019-01-06 12:57:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12211737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FahRENheit2006/pseuds/Ren
Summary: Wherein Waverly and Nicole (finally) cut to the chase. Starts with the oh-so-familiar first kiss and leads into what passes for a first date in Revenant-riddled Purgatory.Office chat, first kiss(es), planning gone awry, but in the end Nicole and Waverly make do with what they've got. All fluff and talk. So, so much of it.Takes place in 1x09.





	not just any first date

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for the rehash in Nedley’s office, but I wanted to establish some characterization/motivation for Nicole to lead into the actual rest of the story. I also included some of the Road to Purgatory text messages/info for a little added authentic flavor (thanks, [Earpalicious!](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Earpalicious/pseuds/Earpalicious)).
> 
> A continuation of little events and tidbits that I touched on in my previous WayHaught series, ["just friends (sure, whatever you want)"](http://archiveofourown.org/series/821646).

“Hey, Nedley out for dinner?”

Waverly Earp’s voice drew Nicole Haught’s attention away from the form she was finishing for Judge Cryderman’s secretary, Dolores. Otherwise, it was another quiet afternoon of front desk duty.

Tilting her head, Nicole deadpanned, “You mean ‘happy hour at Shorty’s?’”

A terse “Yea” from Waverly. She looked anxious and her eyes flicked over to Sheriff Nedley’s office.

Nicole nodded as she tucked the form into a file folder. “Same time every day, kinda like clockwork. Do you need h—?”

Not even waiting for her to finish, Waverly had breezed past Nicole into the station with hardly a sideways glance.

_What the hell?_

“Hey! Wave!” Nicole called after the younger Earp, who she saw through the office window setting her purse down on Nedley’s desk.

_What the hell what the hell?_

Sighing, Nicole squared her shoulders and braced herself for another argument.

Things between her and Waverly had been… weird as of late. Strained.

They had **tried** to be friends, **tried** not to cross that invisible line into something more, **tried** to be civil and casual. But Nicole knew for a fact she’d let that wall drop more than once with a lingering look or a too-long, not-innocent touch. She mentally kicked herself for not showing more restraint.

_Maybe… I finally scared her off. Maybe Waverly doesn’t want an audience. Maybe she wants to say the “just friends” thing they’d been dancing around wasn’t working. Maybe they shouldn’t try to be anything at all except hallway colleagues…_

“Hey,” Nicole called again as she came up behind Waverly who was… _closing the office blinds?_

_What the **hell?!**_

A gruff “excuse me” as Waverly pushed past her made something snap inside Nicole. She was confused, irritated and just **tired** of saying and doing the wrong thing where Waverly was concerned. Nicole barely even registered the office door slamming shut behind her.

Stumbling to face Waverly, Nicole confronted her with open palms. “What is your **problem?!** I don’t understand why you—“

Nicole never got to finish her thought, whatever it was. Those words were shoved out of her mind by Waverly surging against her, hands around her neck, lips pressed to hers. The force sent Nicole stumbling backward as she—foolishly—tried to stop **whatever** this was.

_Surely it’s an accident. …A mistake? …Waverly had tripped? Or—I—she—_

**_What the hell????_ **

But Waverly followed every backwards, stumbling step Nicole made, refusing to give her an inch of space. And it only took an additional second for Nicole’s brain to clue in, grabbing Waverly’s wrist in one hand and a shoulder in the other and just allowing herself to fall backward. Luckily, Nedley’s couch met her back. It gave Nicole a moment to react and brace hands on Waverly’s waist to help cushion the smaller woman’s fall.

And still, unfazed by the tumble, Waverly persisted. Her long hair tickled Nicole’s neck as they kissed. Warm, sweet, focused Waverly nibbled Nicole’s bottom lip, hands still wrapped around her neck.

They had to inhale sharply through their noses to maintain contact until Nicole broke it with a laugh. All the irritation and worry and confusion that had been building up inside of Nicole for the past few weeks burst via that relieved laugh.

 _Oh God, **finally**_.

“What happened to ‘friends?’” Nicole asked, breathless and amused.

It was the wrong question to ask. Waverly jumped back to a knee-sit next to Nicole’s lap on the couch. Her expression was full of wide-eyed intensity.

“You know what I’ve always wanted?”

_Uhhhh…_

Pushing herself up with her elbows, Nicole tilted her head in confusion. “…what?”

 **This** … was not where she thought this conversation was going.

Waverly continued with scarcely a breath between words. “To parachute out of a plane at fifteen thousand feet. Yea! To swim far, **far** out into the ocean so that I can’t see the bottom anymore.” Her right hand gestured outward in a vague swim motion. Waverly’s head darted forward as she exclaimed, “To eat geoduck!”

 _Geoduck?_ An image of a giant clam at someone’s table in a fancy Vegas restaurant sprang to Nicole’s mind, as did the stream of phallic jokes that had ensued throughout the evening.

Wrinkling her nose, Nicole asked, “Isn’t that the one that kinda looks like a—?“

Waverly interrupted with a chirp. “Yea, it is! Point is: I’ve always wanted to do things that scared me, but…” Her hazel eyes had a far-off, sad gaze to them.

She swallowed as her tone shifted to a slower, more uncertain cadence. “Well, it’s not so easy to be brazen…” A frustrated sigh as Waverly pulled her hand off Nicole’s thigh. “…when the thing that you want… that—that scares you to death is… sitting right in front of you.” She trailed off, her hand waving between them in emphasis.

It wrenched something inside of Nicole: a soft, hopeful Thing she’d been keeping tightly locked up, especially around Waverly Earp. It came out as a gentle whisper: “…I scare you.”

“Yes,” Waverly confirmed. “ **Yes** , you do.”

That hopeful Thing swelled inside Nicole. She wanted to reach for Waverly, hold her close. But she didn’t want to interrupt.

Continuing, Waverly stated matter-of-factly: “Because… I don’t want to be **friends**. When I think about what I want to do **most** in this world…” A thick swallow. “It’s you.”

_Oh God… **me too**._

Nicole almost— **almost** —laughed. Mostly out of relief, but also just at what a **line** that was. Instead, she managed a wide, pleased grin.

Waverly’s brow furrowed and nose wrinkled in embarrassment at what she had just uttered. “Oh God,” she trailed off with a small, fretful groan. “…that sounded so much more romantic in my head...”

Clearing her throat, Waverly waved her hand erratically. “Just… jump in any time, Nicole. Because I really, **really** don’t know how to do this.”

It was just… **unbelievable**. **All** of this. Nedley’s couch at Nicole’s back. Waverly Earp crouched on top of her, shy and hopeful and beautiful and saying all the right things (… _more or less_ …) Nicole had been hoping to hear (or say back).

The soft, hopeful Thing in Nicole’s chest wanted to be comforting and smooth and sweet. But it was overruled by a louder, bolder, impressed Thing: Waverly didn’t need to be coddled or reassured. She had barreled into the **Sheriff’s office** and **kissed Nicole** , for God’s sake.

Instead, Nicole purred back, “Oh, I’m **sure** you do.”

Waverly was still breathless and uncertain. “…maybe I should just… stop talking.”

Reaching out, Nicole started coiling the ends of Waverly’s scarf around her hands with a sly grin. “See? You’re getting better at this already.”

The slack tightened, forcing Waverly closer as Nicole leaned back into the couch once more. Waverly stopped a few inches from Nicole’s face, eyes wide for a moment and shoulders stiff. Nicole started to worry that she’d pushed Waverly too far.

But then, playfulness sparked in Waverly’s eyes along with a confident head-tilt. “…Maybe **you** should stop talking, too.”

Again, it took all of Nicole’s remaining brainpower not to laugh. “…Maybe you should **make** me.”

Only a second of hesitation before Waverly pressed forward again with a deep kiss. The Thing inside of Nicole pushed back, so eager and finally awake and just **overjoyed**. Lifting up off the couch, Nicole swapped their positions where now Waverly’s back was against the blue couch. Like it was the easiest, most natural thing in the world. The woman rolled with the motion, smiling softly against Nicole’s mouth.

Gentle hands wound their way around Nicole’s neck and into the ends of her French braid as they kissed. Nicole pulled at Waverly’s knees to wrap around her waist, which Waverly quickly obliged. They exchanged quick, gasping kisses in an unspoken race (that Nicole chalked up to an eagerness mirroring her own).

Suddenly, Waverly retreated with a shy, unreadable smile, her chin tucked into her collarbone. Sweeping fingertips down her soft face, Nicole lifted Waverly’s chin with an index finger. She stared into Waverly’s eyes for a moment, holding her attention, **willing** her to understand how much this all **meant** to Nicole.

_Oh God, **please** …_

And then there was that soft nod of assent from Waverly again. Nicole exhaled with pure, ragged **relief**. A sort of frenzy gripped them as each kiss became an experiment in intensity. Waverly’s hands tangled in Nicole’s hair while she stroked the woman’s sides with gentle encouragement.

Nicole had no idea how long they lay there together, gasping and kissing and nibbling and **oh so desperate** not to waste another **Goddamn** minute pretending this wasn’t how they really felt. Not one more masked smile or furtive downwards glance or—

A loud chiming noise sounded, breaking the spell on that couch. Waverly stopped first, as Nicole was trying desperately to ignore the vibrating phone in her back pocket. Sighing, Nicole pulled away with an apologetic wince.

“What is it?” Waverly asked, breathless. Her long hair was flyaway in places from the static of that old blue couch arm.

Scowling, Nicole glanced up at the still-closed door. “Nedley.”

Eyes wide in panic, Waverly’s head jerked toward the office door, too.

“No, no,” Nicole corrected. “I mean, he’s on his way.”

Waverly tilted her head with raised eyebrows.

Nicole shot her a guilty smile. She pulled the phone from her pocket to show Waverly the ringing “Nedley” alarm. “I **did** say the man is like clockwork. Let’s just say I’ve mastered his routine. And looking busy when he shows back up so I don’t get assigned extra paperwork.” A thumb tap turned the beeping thing off.

_T-minus 5 minutes._

“Ah. Sneaky.” Waverly snuck another kiss: a long, lingering, cinnamon-tasting thing that made Nicole’s heart skip a beat. Then she sat up on the couch and gently pushed Nicole off of her. But that smile hidden under Waverly’s long hair was wicked and smug and quite pleased with itself.

Clearing her throat, Nicole tried to re-tuck her uniform top into her pants while Waverly untangled herself from her scarf. They both stood up at the same time, smiling under coy eyelashes. Nicole helped Waverly back into her heavy blue coat, though not after pulling the smaller woman into a soft kiss.

Waverly let out a light chuckle, her forehead resting against Nicole’s.

“What?” Nicole asked softly, her eyes closed.

“You taste like vanilla.” Opening her eyes, Nicole saw Waverly licking at her lips. Waverly chewed her cheek with a smile. “…I thought you would.”

Nicole licked at her own lips. Everything had happened so quickly she hadn’t taken a second to just savor the experience. “You taste like… cinnamon? …I don’t know that I was expecting that.”

A breathy laugh from Waverly. She wrinkled her nose as she straightened her dangling earrings. “I **might** have pounded back two or three espressos before coming over here. Liquid courage, as it were.”

“It… suits you. The courage, I mean.” Nicole paused. “And the cinnamon.”

“I’ll remember that,” Waverly said with a smile. She threw a thumbs-up at Nicole’s silent request for approval that her uniform looked okay.

Hand on the door knob, Waverly turned and stretched up to give Nicole a quick peck on the lips. Nicole’s phone alarm chose that moment to start chiming again.

_T-minus 2 minutes._

They pulled apart with a laugh. Waverly held her hands up in mock surrender. “Okay, okay. I’m going. Sheesh.” She gave a playful, slanted, nose-crinkling grin.

Nicole wrapped her hand around Waverly’s and escorted her out of Nedley’s office. Pausing just at the counter divider, she gave a furtive glance at the still-empty hallway before kissing Waverly one last time. Nicole could feel the pull of Waverly’s smile, that sweet touch of cinnamon, and how warm and solid everything about her was. She was reluctant to let it go so quickly.

Bouncing back behind the counter, Waverly leaned across it with her hands clasped. Purse on her shoulder, Waverly looked exactly like any other visitor to the Purgatory Sheriff’s Department (other than the fact her cheeks were a little rosier than normal).

“So.” A terse, loaded word accompanied Waverly’s too-wide grin.

“So,” Nicole echoed as she finished straightening out her uniform belt. “…Are you free for dinner tonight?”

It was so hard for Nicole to suppress giddiness at that question and just be **nonchalant**. It was the thing she’d been holding on the tip of her tongue practically since that first day at Shorty’s so many months ago. And now, she finally— **finally** —had permission to **ask**.

“Yes,” Waverly replied, eyelashes fluttering. “What time is your shift over?”

Nicole glanced at her phone. _Nedley will be showing up any minute now._ “7PM.”

“Okay.”

“He’s coming,” Nicole warned in a low voice as she saw a figured striding down the white hallway. She put a professional level of distance between herself and Waverly, but not before running her fingertips down the woman’s wrist.

Sheriff Randy Nedley shuffled into the station with a tip of his hat. “Miss Earp.” He only nodded disinterestedly at Nicole. “Haught.”

“Sir,” Nicole replied automatically as she watched him head for his office and close the door.

Both women had to shush each other over the giggles in their throats. Waverly glanced over at the door and stretched her hand across the counter to grab Nicole’s. Nicole threaded fingers through Waverly’s hand in response.

They smiled bashfully for a moment before Waverly whispered, “I should probably go check on Wynonna. Call you later? Figure out…” she trailed off with a small motion between them. “…all of this?”

Nicole chuckled and bit her lip. “Let’s figure out dinner first and go from there. ‘Kay?”

“Okay.” Waverly started to lean over the front desk, but her eyes flitted over to Nedley’s office and she pulled back. She gave Nicole’s hand a squeeze and blew a small kiss before disappearing around the corner to the BBD offices.

Exhaling loudly, Nicole didn’t realize how long she’d been holding that breath in. And she realized: it had **always** felt like she had to hold her breath around Waverly. Like she needed every tiny breath just to process the world around her in Waverly’s presence. And that world had just gotten **so** much better all of a sudden.

_Oh God: **finally**._

The police station was too quiet after Waverly left. Nicole just sat at her desk, dazed by this turn of events. She thought she still smelled Waverly’s lotion where her hands had gripped her uniform lapels, a sweet citrusy scent. But it was so subtle that Nicole couldn’t remember exactly. It all happened so quickly. Too quickly.

_…Oh God, **please** don’t tell me I dreamed all of that. What if I’m still in that ditch or asleep in the hospital and I made up the whole thing?_

_I have to be sure._

Pulling out her phone, Nicole thumbed over to Waverly’s text message thread. The same innocent texts from before: arranging times for casual coffee or saying hey at the station or how Wynonna/Nicole’s cat was doing.

[Nicole says: “Am I dreaming? Are you real? Did that happen?”]

She left the phone on the desk while she pretended to busy herself with a pile of paperwork that needed filing. A response chimed back a few seconds later, followed by another.

Nicole thought her face was going to fall off from how hard she started smiling. For Waverly hadn’t replied so much as bombarded her text inbox with emojis. A sea of unicorn faces (probably close to 30) were followed by a single red lip imprint: a kiss.

[Nicole says: “Oh thank God”]

Grinning, she tapped out a red kiss emoji of her own. It was such a simple, stupid thing but it warmed Nicole from the inside out until she thought she would burst.

A gruff voice behind Nicole startled her. “What’s up with you?” Nedley was gathering up his jacket at the coat rack and his empty lunch pail (always a turkey sandwich and a ginger ale courtesy of Mrs. Nedley).

Dialing down her smile a notch, Nicole cleared her throat. “Uh, nothing. Just… happy to be on full duty.” She even managed to sound somewhat sincere.

“Uh huh,” Nedley replied with sarcastic disbelief. “Well if you’re so happy about it, you can handle closing out the Donner case. Next of kin are coming in bright and early tomorrow.”

Nicole bit back an outraged squawk.

_That’ll take **hours**!_

“Uh, can’t Lonnie take care of it when he comes in?”

“Oh, right.” Nedley drummed a knuckle on the desk as he passed back through the divider. “Lonnie’s picking up his boy from hockey practice in the city, so he’s gonna be late. He called me earlier about it. You’re good with that, right, Haught? You said earlier you didn’t have any plans this evening.”

_God. Damn. It._

Through gritted teeth, Nicole nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Glad to have you back,” the Sheriff said dryly as he headed back down the hallway with a wave. “See you in the morning.”

“You, too.”

**_God damn it._ **

Nicole sat back in her swivel chair, dumbfounded by her terrible luck. Her thumb swiped to unlock her phone, where those rows of unicorns still sat in her message history with Waverly. She had to take several long, slow breaths to remain calm and optimistic.

_First thing’s first._

Messaging Lonnie, Nicole started mentally logging her list of tasks to tackle (most of them involving paperwork or phone calls). Thankfully, the older deputy replied quickly.

[Lonnie says: “sorry forgot to message u 2. yea ill b in around 8 depending on traffic”]

_Okay. That’s not **too** bad._

She swapped conversations, though she was hesitant to ruin the moment. Nicole traced her thumb over that kiss symbol, cherishing the memory before starting on an apology.

[Nicole says: “Bad news. My relief isn’t getting in til 8. Still on for dinner?”]

Not waiting for a response, Nicole went over to the file cabinet to dig out the Donner file. She skimmed the packet of paperwork, noting where hand-written notes needed to be transcribed and what forms needed official stamps. She could knock this out before Lonnie showed up if she didn’t have any painfully long follow-up calls (though the Purgatorians, especially older ones, just loved to talk).

A trio of pinging responses.

[Waverly says: “Sucks. I guess I can wait ;)”]

[Waverly says: “JD’s should still be open til 9. Otherwise there’s always Shorty’s”]

A thinking-face emoji followed close behind.

[Nicole says: “Anywhere is perfect, as long as it’s with you”]

There was a slight pause, then Waverly sent another kiss symbol.

Smiling to herself, Nicole rolled up her (figurative) sleeves and assembled her pile of paperwork and phone numbers. She was going for a department speed record tonight if it **killed** her.

* * *

Eight o’clock came and went. So did Nicole’s patience.

The last half hour alone had been nothing but calculating time problems in her head. Nicole went from tentatively believing a shower and change of clothes at home was still possible, to praying the spare set of clothes she kept at work weren’t too wrinkled, to canceling the date outright.

_Date._

**_Date._**

_She had a **date**. _

_With **Waverly Earp**._

_How can I cancel a date with Waverly Earp?!_

She sighed and opened up her phone. _8:37PM_.

[Nicole says: “I don’t think we’re gonna make JD’s. Still good for Shorty’s?”]

[Waverly says: “Crap. And no, can’t go back to Shorty’s. EVER”]

_Well that’s ominous?_

[Nicole says: “Why”]

[Waverly says: “Because now Bobo Del frickin Rey owns it”]

[Nicole says: “Oh my God Waverly are you okay???”]

[Waverly says: “No. No I’m not. Wynonna just found out. Trying to come up with a plan to deal with him and his gang tomorrow”]

[Nicole says: “Do you want to talk about it?”]

[Waverly says: “No. Don’t feel like dealing with it right now”]

[Nicole says: “OK. I’m here when you do, okay?”]

[Waverly says: “Ok thanks. Promise I’ll tell you when I do”]

Chewing her lip, Nicole hesitated to type out her next thought.

[Nicole says: “Do you want to reschedule the date?”]

_“Date.” Maybe using the word will make it more real._

[Waverly says: “NO I DON’T want to reschedule!! I think I have one last hail mary idea we can still do”]

[Nicole says: “Are you sure? I can wait”]

[Waverly says: “Well I can’t :P Lemme make a phonecall. Text me when you get off?”]

Replying in the affirmative, Nicole closed her phone and finished the last of her paperwork.

When Lonnie finally showed up, sweaty and apologetic, Nicole didn’t have the energy to be angry. She just nodded at his gratitude, dumped the rest of her paperwork on his desk, and made a beeline for the communal showers.

The blue button-down shirt and khakis Nicole had to spare weren’t ideal, but not terrible. And fortunately, she did keep an extra mascara, lipstick and concealer handy. It was rather hard to effectively preen in the dull fluorescent lighting of the municipal building women’s room, though.

Her stomach growled as she pulled out her phone on the way to her cruiser, uniform duffle bag in the other hand.

_Ugh. 9:27PM._

[Nicole says: “FINALLY, I’m outta here. Where are you?”]

[Waverly says: “Yay! I’ll meet you at Movie Madness on Second St?”]

_The movie theater? I tried to see a movie after a shift a couple weeks ago. Last showing was at like 8:45. **Everything** in this town shuts down by 9. _

[Nicole says: “Are you sure?”]

[Waverly says: “Trust me”]

About 10 minutes later, Nicole turned into the cheap movie theater parking lot. Only one street light was still working, otherwise most of the lot’s few cars were shrouded in darkness. Her headlights passed over a familiar red Jeep. An even more familiar woman was leaning against the driver’s side door, phone in hand.

Waverly at least **had** had time to change. And was dressed to the nines: long hair pulled up in a tight bun, tan crop-top accented by several strands of gold necklaces, mini-skirt over leggings with familiar pom-pom topped boots, all hugged by that leopard print coat… she was as _Waverly_ as she could possibly be.

Giving a gentle honk of her horn, Nicole pulled into the spot behind Waverly (who had jumped at the noise before smiling and waving back). As Nicole stepped out of her warm cruiser, she was met by a biting wind that swirled around her navy coat.

She was also met by a tackling hug from Waverly, who had bounded around the front of her car. Nicole tucked her chin atop the shorter woman’s head, finally savoring the moment (despite the surrounding chill). Then she remembered what Waverly had said earlier.

“Hey,” Nicole said in a low voice.

Waverly’s reply was muffled by Nicole’s jacket. “Hey yourself.”

“You okay, Waves? You wanna go somewhere and talk about this Bobo thing? Or should I get the Sheriff’s office involved?”

 _How? **How** did that scummy trailer park slumlord buy Shorty’s?_ She started mentally cataloguing the armory’s munitions and how they could effectively lay siege, starting with a perimeter around—

“No,” Waverly said, pulling back. “I **don’t** want to talk about it.” There was a line of mascara down one cheek, evidence she’d been crying earlier. She sniffed and dabbed a finger at her eyes. “I just want to forget about it for a little while. Okay?” Waverly looked up at Nicole, forlorn but hopeful.

Nicole murmured a soft “Okay” as she captured Waverly’s lips in a kiss. Waverly sniffed again, but her cheeks tightened in a smile. Pulling back, she looped her arm through Nicole’s and started dragging them towards the theater. Half the neon lights were out on the Movie Madness sign and the doors appeared locked.

As they approached, Nicole tried pushing on the glass door. It didn’t budge.

When she looked over to Waverly, the woman just held up her hand. “Trust me,” Waverly said as she knocked on the glass.

A moment later, an older gentleman in his early 70s wearing a wrinkled white dress shirt with a red cummerbund opened the door with a rattle of keys. His voice sounded as old as he looked. “Waverly! Was wondering when you were gonna show.”

Stepping in front of Nicole, Waverly smiled. “Sorry, Barney. My date was late.” She gave a small, good-natured elbow-nudge to Nicole’s stomach.

 _“My **date** ”?? _The phrase caught in Nicole’s throat.

“Who’s your friend?” Barney asked, half-listening, as he ushered them through the open door.

“This is Nicole Haught. She’s a Sheriff’s Deputy,” Waverly replied as she grabbed onto the front of Nicole’s shirt and pulled them both inside.

“Oh excellent! One of Nedley’s! You’re in good company, then?”

Waverly confirmed with a smile. “The best, Barney.”

Nicole opened her mouth several times to reply, but she was baffled by the exchange (for more reason than one).

_…What the hell?_

Examining his keyring, Barney rubbed at his bald head a moment before selecting a pair of silver keys and handing them to Waverly. “I’ve got you in Theater 3. Projector is already threaded, just turn it off before you leave.” He gestured to the small concessions counter. “Was just about to clean up, but take whatever you want. I left the nacho cheese on just for you, Little Waverly.”

“Thank you, Barney,” Waverly replied sweetly as she dragged Nicole over to the food counter.

Nicole pulled out her wallet, but Waverly waved her off. The smell of shitty hot dogs and popcorn set Nicole’s stomach to rumbling, though.

“Are you sure this is okay?” Nicole whispered in Waverly’s ear, watching Barney closely. He had gone back to sweeping up a section of carpet peppered with granules of popcorn, humming a tune under his breath.

“Perfectly okay,” Waverly whispered back as she poured a heap of gooey cheese onto a basket of round tortilla chips. “Plus, I don’t know about you, but I’m **starving**.”

“Me too.” It didn’t take much coaxing for Nicole to pick up a pair of hot dogs and a box of Reese’s Pieces along with a fat fountain drink of Diet Coke. Nicole waved at the old movie manager to ask permission on the food she’d collected, but Barney just nodded back and kept sweeping.

She felt a hand on her wrist as Waverly guided them to the far theater in the hallway, #3. She ground to a halt just outside the door and spun to glare at Nicole.

“Where’s the best place to sit?” She demanded.

Chuckling, Nicole shrugged. “Testing me already?”

“It’s important!” Waverly insisted.

“I prefer the middle/back of the theater, in the center.”

A sunshine-smile accompanied crinkling around Waverly’s eyes. “…good answer. I would have also accepted ‘anything that’s not the front row.’”

“Ah,” Nicole murmured as they piled into the small theater with their haul of junk food.

Waverly shrugged apologetically as she gestured at the screen. “I’m gonna turn on the projector. I hope you wanted to see Chris Evans, because ‘Before We Go’ was all Barney still had on hand.”

“Never heard of it.”

“That makes two of us!” Waverly agreed with a laugh. “Hopefully it won’t suck!”

Before Waverly could jump up, Nicole snagged her wrist with a soft “Hey” and pulled her into a kiss. They were both smiling when they came apart.

Reluctant to let Waverly’s hand go, Nicole asked, “I **have** to know: how did you **do** all this?”

Leaning against the chairbacks in front of them, Waverly shrugged out of her heavy coat. “A couple years ago, Barney’s wife, Margaret, had cancer. He was having trouble visiting her in the hospital during her chemo, so I helped him open and close the theater a few days a week for like seven months.”

“Is Margaret…?”

“She’s okay. Still runs the flower shop. Her cancer wasn’t like terminal yet but the chemo was hard on her.” Waverly paused before explaining with a sad smile, “Old people.”

“I didn’t know you worked at the theater,” Nicole said with a head tilt.

She shrugged. “More like volunteered. It was easy to fit in before or after my Shorty’s shift. Felt good to help out, since the Henshaws have always been nice people. And after that, Barney said if I ever wanted to catch a movie to just tell him when.” Waverly smiled and made jazz hands.

“You… are a class act, Waverly Earp,” Nicole breathed with feeling.

“I know!” Waverly chirped back in agreement as she headed for the projection booth. A few seconds later, the lights dimmed and a warm light washed over the screen.

They munched on their snacks through the previews, occasionally sharing popcorn or boxes of candy. When the feature finally started, Nicole stole a glance over at Waverly. The woman was now bundled in Nicole’s jacket around her shoulders while her leopard print coat over sat her knees _(“I get cold!”)._ She was watching the screen was just a soft, simple wonder.

Catching Nicole’s eye, Waverly whispered, “What?”

All Nicole could say back was “Nothing.”

* * *

Nicole squinted against a bright, white light. It took her a moment to realize how groggy she felt, and that the nagging white light was the movie screen devoid of movie.

_Oh shit! I fell asleep!!_

Looking over, Nicole found Waverly tucked against her shoulder… also fast asleep. Nicole’s coat was draped over Waverly like a blanket and her own leopard print coat covering her knees had slipped down slightly.

Nicole checked her phone.

_2:21AM._

_God. Damn. it._

A soft shake to Waverly’s shoulders stirred the woman awake with a bleary blink. She darted upright in her seat with a frown and a curse. “Oh **balls!”**

Chuckling, Nicole gathered up her wrappers and crammed them into her empty drink cup. “I fell asleep, too.”

Waverly gave out a disappointed groan. “I can’t believe I frickin’ fell asleep!” She shot Nicole a wide-eyed, frantic look. “I’m sorry! I promise I was looking forward to this! I just—“

“Wave,” Nicole interrupted. “It happens. We had a long, crazy, **stressful** day.” A smile curled her lips. “We’ll do better next time.”

“Next time,” Waverly echoed in agreement as she handed Nicole back her coat (which Nicole noticed smelled like Waverly’s perfume). She smiled that slanted smile of hers.

While Waverly shut down the projector and turned off the interior lights, Nicole snuck over to the cash register and left a trio of $20s on top with a note of thanks (she took a picture for good measure). Her ingrained cop instincts were sensitive to any situation that might be interpreted as bribing an officer… plus she wanted to contribute **something** to their first date (even if Waverly didn’t know about it).

After locking up the darkened theater and hiding the keys under a side ash tray, Waverly and Nicole strode out through the near-empty parking lot. The evening chill had picked up, wind whipping dead leaves across the cracked blacktop.

As they approached their vehicles, Nicole noticed that Waverly was withdrawn. Nicole tapped her shoulder, and started to ask a “Hey what’s going on—?”

But then Waverly pressed herself against Nicole in a tight hug. “I just… I can’t believe she’s leaving…”

Nicole tucked her head around that top bun as best she could, waiting a moment before asking. “…Wynonna?”

“No. Gus.”

_Oh._

The matron of Shorty’s had always been stern with Nicole, but she’d always noticed the woman’s softness towards Waverly.

“Where? When?” Nicole asked.

“Oregon. To live with her sister. And in like the next couple weeks!” A small sniffle. “She said there’s too many bad memories in Purgatory. And without Uncle Curtis she wanted a fresh start. I just…”

“What?”

“It’s nothing,” Waverly trailed off with a murmur.

Angling her head, Nicole kissed Waverly’s temple. She then softly said, “Please. You can tell me.”

A few seconds of silence passed, but Nicole only stood there holding Waverly and waited. Patiently.

Finally, Waverly said, “It’s just… everyone leaves Purgatory so **easily**. Momma. Wynonna. Gus. And here I am: still here. The only one who **stays** … the only one who **cares**.”

_I **care**. I’ll **stay**._

“…This is our family’s **home**. Our **legacy**. And I know it doesn’t **seem** like much, what with the curs—uh…” Waverly caught herself and cleared her throat. “I just wish… I don’t know…” Wiping at her cheeks, she smiled through glassy eyes. “Sorry, I didn’t want to unload all this on you.”

“I asked,” Nicole said simply with a soft smile.

Clearing her throat again, Waverly straightened upright. “Change of subject!”

Nicole nodded and shivered in her coat slightly. “I had a good time tonight, Waves.” Eyes twinkling, she couldn’t help but tease, “For a last-minute date, it was pretty good.”

It worked. Waverly squawked in faux-indignation. “Oh yea??”

“Yes.”

“Well, **you** try planning a date when—“ Waverly started rapidly counting off on her fingers, starting with the thumb. “—it’s last-frickin’-minute—“ Index finger. “—your date is a cop who works long hours—“ Middle finger. “—it’s a small town where everything closes at **nine** —“ Ring finger. “—and you have a finite amount of favors that people owe you who also—“ Pinky finger. “—happen to be awake when you call in that favor!”

She was breathless by the end of her list, but her eyes sparkled.

Reaching out, Nicole wove her fingers through that now-open hand with a wide smile. “And you did an amazing job.”

“Did I?”

“It was perfect, Waverly.”

“Even the part where we both fell asleep?”

“Especially that part.”

Waverly hmphed skeptically, though she was still pleased.

They continued the last few footfalls to the side of Waverly’s Jeep.

“…How many people in this town owe you a favor for something?” Nicole asked.

Waverly smiled. “Quite a few, actually. I’m a very helpful gal. Though I’ve never really needed to call any of ‘em in… before now, anyway.” Her voice softened. “…never had a reason to.”

Tilting her head, Waverly raised an eyebrow in challenge. “…what would **you** have done different?”

“Well, I mean, I had this grand plan in my head ages ago,” Nicole said with a rueful laugh. “But I failed to anticipate you breaking into my boss’s office and making out on his couch.”

Waverly blushed, but shrugged in acknowledgment. “What was **your** plan?”

It was Nicole’s turn to count off on her fingers, though much more slowly. “First, I was gonna ask you out properly. Then I would pick you up at your house and we’d go to the county fair in the city. There, we’d dine on the finest cheap beer and junk food the Ghost River Triangle had to offer.”

An approving nod from Waverly. “I like this already. Continue.”

“Then I’d win you the biggest, ugliest, purple-est bear there was in some carnival game.”

Waverly wrinkled her nose in mock-disgust. “Why purple?”

“Those are the rules: if you’re gonna win a carnival prize for a girl, it has to be a huge purple bear,” Nicole said matter-of-factly.

“Obviously,” Waverly nodded with small sarcasm. She narrowed her eyes. “What would have been your game of choice?”

Making a throwing motion, Nicole had to jog her memory. “The one with the… bottles… Milk bottles… Hit-the-milk-bottles-with-a-baseball thing.”

“Why that game?”

Pulling out her phone, Nicole showed Waverly a picture of herself clad in a Purgatory Sheriff’s Department softball team jersey along with a tan PSD hat. “Because you’re looking at the first base-woman of our department co-ed beer league. Season starts in April.”

An impressed crinkling smile from Waverly. Nicole thought she heard Waverly whisper, “Wouldn’t miss it.”

Still counting her fingers, Nicole continued, “And after you had said horrible bear—“

“—that I’d make you carry around for me,” Waverly interrupted with a laugh.

Nicole nodded in agreement. “—that you made me carry for you, we’d take a ride on the Ferris Wheel. And there, with the lights of the city sprawled before us…” Trailing off for a second, Nicole made a dramatic sweeping motion with her hand to simulate the distant skyline. ”…we would have our first kiss. Fireworks ensue. Literal and figurative ones.”

“Sounds magical,” Waverly said with a grin. She made a dramatic hair-tossing pantomime. “…except I beat you to it.”

A deep laugh rumbled in Nicole’s belly. “You did. Somehow… someday… I’ll be okay with it,” she said with a measure of irony.

“Good!” Waverly chirped before stabbing a finger into Nicole’s collarbone. “You better!”

Standing on tiptoe, Waverly kissed Nicole’s lips deeply, her hands tugging at the pockets of Nicole’s jacket. Nicole rubbed her hands down Waverly’s shoulders when she felt the woman shiver.

“Hey!” Waverly said as she pulled away. She pulled out her phone. “Picture? I don’t want to forget this because I was too frickin’ tired.”

“Absolutely,” Nicole breathed back. Especially when she noticed Waverly’s phone wallpaper was already the picture of the two of them from the gun range several weeks ago. She felt her cheeks redden, and not from the cold.

Just as Waverly’s thumb hovered over the camera button, Nicole kissed Waverly’s cheek. The camera clicked as Waverly giggled. The ensuing picture was a little blurry but…

“It’s perfect,” Waverly said with a grin. A few thumb taps later and Nicole felt an answering chime of her own phone.

[“Waverly Earp sent an image”]

“So,” Waverly trailed off, toeing at a loose stone in the pavement.

“So,” Nicole echoed. “Call you tomorrow?”

“Absolutely.”

Pressing a chaste kiss to Nicole’s temple, Waverly dug out her car keys.

Nicole watched the woman drive away from the side of her cruiser, unable to move from that dim parking lot. She exhaled a long, deep breath.

All she could think of, over and over and over again, was:

_Oh God. **Finally**._


End file.
